His subjects, often solitary figures in sparse, flattened interiors, embody a sense of detachment. Gender is frequently fluid or ambiguous; expressions remain unreadable, gazes averted. Kirby’s paintings are frequently punctuated by symbolic elements such as crowns, costumes, and party hats that gesture toward performance and concealment. The formal restraint of his imagery belies its emotional and psychological depth, inviting prolonged contemplation rather than immediate interpretation.
A recurring character, the bald man, appears throughout his work as both personal cipher and universal figure. This imagery was, as we shall see, inspired by Stephen Jenn, to whom this collection of works belonged prior to his early death in 2012.
Jenn met Kirby while the artist was still working as a probation officer in the 1980s. The pair went on to enjoy a close relationship, spanning the formative years of Kirby’s artistic training and burgeoning success. Jenn - a successful RADA-trained theatre actor - suffered with alopecia, becoming completely and permanently bald in his early teens. Jenn became muse to Kirby who repeatedly sketched and painted him throughout their relationship. The image of Jenn became the key motif in Kirby’s visual lexicon.
